McKean High School radio students shine in state competition

Thomas McKean High School seniors Brent Hall and Luis Ruiz were recently honored by the Red Clay Consolidated School District Board of Education for their first place win in the 2013 Delaware DECA Career Conference's public relations event.

Thomas McKean High School seniors Brent Hall and Luis Ruiz were recently honored by the Red Clay Consolidated School District Board of Education for their first place win in the 2013 Delaware DECA Career Conference's public relations event.

Hall, of Hockessin, and Ruiz, of Marshallton, represented McKean High's revamped radio station, The Edge, at the DECA competition in Dover back in February with the goal of submitting a winning marketing formula for how to promote The Edge in the community. The Red Clay school board honored Hall and Ruiz at their March 20 meeting.

With their state win, Hall and Ruiz will represent McKean at the National DECA Career Conference scheduled to be held in April at Disney in Anaheim, Calif.

DECA is a marketing education program whose membership is open to all students who are enrolled in a state approved career and technical marketing education program.

At the DECA statewide competition, there were 35 different events to choose from and Ruiz and Hall chose public relations because they were both involved in communications and business classes at McKean High School, Ruiz said.

Hall and Ruiz said their project aimed to enhance McKean radio's standing in the community by raising revenue for the station, increasing its number of listeners and promoting The Edge, available at 88.1 FM and via television on Comcast channel 965, within the Mill Creek Hundred community.

"We accomplished these goals through underwriting, advertising our station and all together a word of mouth campaign," Hall said. "The project was a written essay and a prepared presentation that encompassed what we did and summarized it."

In all, Ruiz said he and Hall prepared a 30-page report, a PowerPoint presentation and make a couple of banners and a tri-fold sign for their presentation to judges.

"It was nerve-racking to present in front of them, but in the end hearing our names announced as first place made all the effort worth it," Ruiz said. "I can't wait to compete at Nationals in Anaheim, California."

Being recognized by the board was great as well, Ruiz and Hall said.

"It really made those long hours that we put into our project pay off," Ruiz said.

"It's really great to be able to represent McKean in front of other schools heads and district members," Hall said.

McKean Principal Dr. Lisa Ueltzhoffer and Red Clay Superintendent Dr. Merv Daugherty said they glad their students were able to show the rest of the state what kind of talent they have.